Authentic Pizza Margherita

Description

Inspired by the pizza at Bar Del Corso, this Pizza Margherita features tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil, with just a hint of sea salt.

Ingredients

  • 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
  • 1 pinch white sugar
  • ¼ cup flour for dusting
  • 2 cups pizza sauce
  • 20 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
  • 20 leaves fresh basil
  • olive oil
  • sea salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Stir flour and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Set aside.
  2. Mix water
  3. yeast
  4. and sugar in a large bowl. Let stand until yeast begins to form a creamy foam
  5. about 5 minutes.
  6. Stir half the flour mixture into yeast mixture until no dry spots remain. Stir in remaining flour
  7. 1/2 cup at a time
  8. mixing well after each addition. When dough pulls together
  9. turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic
  10. about 8 minutes.
  11. Lightly oil a large bowl
  12. then place dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a light cloth and let rise in a warm place (80 to 95 degrees F (27 to 35 degrees C)) until doubled in volume
  13. about 1 hour. Punch dough down
  14. divide into 4 equal pieces
  15. and form each into a ball.
  16. Preheat oven with a pizza stone to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
  17. Stretch out and pat 1 dough ball to form a circle 10 to 12 inches in diameter. Place dough on a lightly floured pizza peel. Top with 1/2 cup of tomato sauce and spread to cover within an inch of the edge of the dough. Arrange 5 slices of mozzarella cheese on top of the tomato sauce
  18. then place 5 basil leaves on top. Drizzle pizza with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt to taste. Repeat for 3 remaining dough balls.
  19. Slide each pizza onto the pizza stone in the preheated oven. Bake until cheese is bubbly and the underside of the crust is golden brown
  20. 5 to 7 minutes.

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins

Servings: 4

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